Meaning & use
Metacentric
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Relating to the metacentre, the theoretical point used to measure the stability of a floating vessel.
See it in a sentence
Naval architects calculate a ship's metacentric height to ensure it won't capsize in rough seas.
A higher metacentric height generally makes a vessel more resistant to tipping.
A note on using this word
Metacentric is a term shared by two very different fields: naval engineering and genetics, both dealing with balance around a central point.
Another way to use it
2. adjective
In genetics, describing a chromosome whose centromere lies near its middle, giving it two arms of similar length.
Human chromosome 1 is classified as metacentric.
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